Letters to the Editor Thursday

Stop whining about the sequester, cut the spending and do what you were hired to do.

Four times in my 30 years teaching college in Kentucky, the governor sent directives to the university presidents to cut their budgets by 3 to 5 percent.

Each president had the authority to designate how his or her budget would be cut. Sometimes they found savings by freezing new hiring or saving on energy by turning off unnecessary lighting and lowering thermostats to prevent cutting salaries. But twice I had to accept a salary cut of 2.5 and 5 percent.

Have federal employees ever taken a salary cut? I doubt it, but many people in business have.

Most federal employees now make more in salary and benefits than their counterparts in private business.

You got a tax increase that exceeds in income the amount the sequester will cut, and now you want more. More, more, more. Few politicians are ever satisfied with what they get in taxes.

Maybe it’s time to send people to Washington who know how to balance a budget and who can make intelligent decisions when spending our money. If you think an $85 billion cut, which only reduces the spending increase but not the debt, will cause a catastrophe, just think about the real catastrophe that can happen if the currency collapses.

Every director of every program can find ways to cut their budget if told to do so. Man up, and direct them to do so.

JAMES SICKEL

Savannah

Loss of family values behind violence problem

TV news headlines scream for a solution to youth gun violence in our country, and yet media and government support for the most obvious solution is withheld.

Although availability of guns and violent movies, TV and video games are posed as the culprits (with some justification), it is unpopular to target the source of the problem — encouraged casual sexual relationships, failed marriages, broken homes and children being raised by a third generation of parents who’ve been non-parented themselves.

Very little support for strong marriage and intact families in general is being espoused.

We have confused, angry, depressed children and not enough media or government support for the very institution (family) that nurtures and supports a healthy society.

It’s the perfect storm.

MARGARET KINCAID

Savannah

Keep bridge name simple, and don’t upset S.C.

Concerning Tony Field’s response of bridge renaming in his Feb. 23 letter to the editor: To take it a step further, so as not to upset our South Carolinian friends to the north, we ought to just rename it “The Bridge.”

JIM LEITH

Savannah

Savannah’s best assets: All the charming people

We left Pennsylvania and the cold weather to visit your community for two months, and it will be tough to leave in a few days.

Like all of the brochures say, you are filled with history, charm, good food and nice weather. What the brochures cannot tell a potential visitor is that it is really the charming people of Savannah who make this city a warm destination. With people like these, this city will always be a special place to visit.

A major cause is our national debt. In the last few years, it has grown so large, we could not pay it off in 1,000 lifetimes.

I understand that the Department of Homeland Security just sent memos to all field offices, telling them to prepare for civil unrest this summer. The belief is that society should break down after our economy collapses. What can we do other than sit and wait?

We should follow Iceland’s example. On the verge of collapse, Iceland arrested their central bankers and key incumbent politicians. They are serving prison terms. Iceland now has one of the world’s safest economies.

We each need to proactively draw our line in the sand (stand up, speak out). Then lead America back to her lost integrity. That is the only effective glue that can hold us together.

JOHN GREENWAIDE

Savannah

Catholic ‘hero’ really a puppet for Nazi Germany

By printing Christine Flowers’ Feb. 25 essay, “Praising Catholic Heroes,” you (inadvertently, one hopes) put yourself on the wrong side of the genocide debate in former Yugoslavia during World War II.

I had to learn the sordid details of the civil war between Croats and Serbs during the 1941-1945 Nazi occupation in preparation for my doctoral dissertation. Extreme Croatian nationalists, called Ustashi, murdered thousands of Serbs in an attempt to purify their land of non-Catholics. The only issue of fact is the number killed; Croats say “only” 30,000 while Serbs claim 300,000 of their people died.

Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac did nothing to challenge the puppet government Germany imposed on Croatia. At best, he was silent on the atrocities committed by the Ustashi in the name of the church. Some, however, claim he actively supported them. In either case, the Catholic Church did not support heroes there.

KENNETH ZAPP, Ph.D.

Savannah

Pedestrian flattened by reckless cyclist

On Feb. 20, while visiting Savannah, I was run over by a speeding bicyclist in the crosswalk at State and Bull streets. There were at least six of us crossing, and I was the unlucky one.

This young woman broke my camera, bruised my hip and left me bleeding near my eyes, where my eyeglasses hit the pavement.

After picking up her bike, her only remark to me was, “You should have kept walking! I was going to go between the two of you!”

Then she rode off.

Beware of this cyclist — a white woman in her late teens-early twenties, with a lime green bike and yellow tires. I’m just glad she didn’t hit a small child or very elderly person. The results could have been much worse.

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She hit the nail flush on the head. Break down of the family has been the single biggest contributor to most of the problems in our current society as she mentioned. When almost 80% of newborns in the African American community are born to unwed mothers this is a receipe for disaster. And the birth of white babies to unwed mothers has increased dramatically. Our own government really began encouraging this with LBJ's great society. One of the most well known of democrats in the 1960's Daniel Monayhan wrote a letter of concern when this trend began in the late sixties! But as Margaret said we've danced around this issue for years! Our children have paid an awful price. So has our society as a whole. We had broken homes before then. I survived one. But nothing like we've seen in the last forty years. Kay Horwitz from the Manhatten institute had a great article on this a while back. It was on the editorial page of this very paper! Why havn't we seen marches & righteous indignation about this travesty that we've cowardly & selfishly refused to seriously address for so long. Thanks again to a few like Margaret who try from time to time.

... Mr. President and Members of Congress. I think it only fair since youse guys created this mess, you should share in the pain. Let's see, the Prez makes $450,000 a year (Including his expense account.) Factor in Congressional salaries allowing for the speakers and rank and file difference, wow $75,342,000.00. A 20 % reduction in pay sounds about right to me. Put down a 0, carry your one, hold on a sec, I am taking off my shoes....Voila, you have saved the taxpayers $15,280,460. Plus you have the added satisfaction of knowing you have done something good for the first time in a long, long while.

I wonder what kind of job a person can get that allows their employees to take unlimited amount of vacation every year. Did I hear correctly that Mrs Obama and their daughters went on vacation paid for by us (the taxpayer). I can understand that they have to have secret service protection. I'm sure there are evil people out there who would love to have access to their 2 daughters. That would be a terrorists dream. But their hotel, food, trips and all of the other activities people do when they go on vacation should be paid for by them and not us.

Personally, I could care less who has taken a vacation, I just want a couple of adults to get together and CUT SPENDING!!!!! Both parties are guilty of spending. The time to stop wasteful spending is NOW!! It's not the time to get bogged down over who has taken a vacation, or a golf game. Kinda reminds me of what my Dad used to say ..." If you can't impress them with your intelligence, then baffle them with your BS. Both parties are very, very good at being magicians, they distract you from the real issues, while using sleight of hand tio pass what they want.

You don't recall me complaining about GWB taking many vacations because I was not posting on this website during his 2 terms. I started posting on this forum in February 2010. But if you were at my house during the Bush years you would have heard me complain. However, most of Bush's vacations were spent in Crawford Texas and he often had some of his cabinet with him and they were "working vacations".

Everybody needs vacation time Mr. Ed. I have no problem with anybody taking time off. I just don't want to have to pay for someone else's vacation. There are many people in this country who can not afford to take their families on vacation. We (my husband and I) have been fortunate. We have been able to afford to take trips. But I don't expect you to pay for my vacation trips..

Since I know you truly dislike GWB I will overlook your statement that "even when he was present in the White House he was 'out to lunch'.

But while Bush may have been "out to lunch", Obama (in 2012) was on his way to a lavish campaign fundraiser in Las Vegas while the 4 Americans were being slaughtered in Benhgazi. And as far as I know he didn't lift a finger to call anybody to try to rescue and save those men. Oh, and by the way, he went to Vegas in Air Force One at the tax payer's expense.

I am shocked every time I read your posts. Beliefs like yours are why your party and candidate last. These positions and silly notions are why more people voted for democrats at every level during the last election.
When Mr. Jidhal said you had to quit being the party of stupid he was talking about the types of positions you support.

I gave him the benefit of the doubt in the beginning also for the same reason Luce did. I couldn't believe that a fully informed president who knew what was going on and continued on his merry way. But whenever anyone asked him about it he had his answer down pat."What happened in Benghazi is under investigation so I can't discuss it." He only had to get through 2 months until the election and for 2 months he didn't have to answer for it.

And because he still isn't answering for it and most of the media is in his pocket he won't ever have to answer for it and in the mean time Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans are still dead.

No matter who the President or what party, they are accountable for any actions under their watch. You guys need to get over the fact that the current political parties are not looking out for you, They want you arguing so they can keep you from noticing what they are doing when the cameras are off, and you're playing right into their hands. Answer? Find some common ground with each other, you all know that our present rate of spending is unsustainable, or you should. We can't keep spending more than we take in, no entity can and stay solvent.

Which president should be held accountable for the 50 plus thousand Americans who were killed in Viet Nam. Should it be President Kennedy, President Lyndon Johnson or who. President Nixon (before he left the office in disgrace) had a lot to do with ending our involvement in Viet Nam. Should we thank him. Oh, that's right. He died a few years ago.

I agree with you about Lyndon Johnson. He increased our involvement with Viet Nam by thousands. My brother nearly died on his watch. And many, many more did die or became prisoners of war. And like you I have been suspicious about Johnson re: Kennedy's death. I knew they did not like each other but Kennedy needed Johnson so he could win Texas. Bobby Kennedy hated him and I think the feeling was mutual. I recently read the book "Killing Kennedy". But yes, Johnson greatly increased our troops in Viet Nam. And our young men coming home from Viet Nam were treated like scum. It was disgraceful the way the American people treated our returning veterans. But a lot of time has passed and now the American people treat all veterans with respect even if they don't agree with us going to war.

I pray to God to have mercy on my "soul" every day. But I also ask that He have mercy on all of us mere imperfect human beings. Because that is what we are. Imperfect human beings. Regarding your last sentence about "ignoring the egregious actions of the church" I assume you are talking about the sex scandal that has been and continues to be a black eye on the Church. The only thing I can say is this: Anybody who commits a sex crime against a child is worse than scum. And that is especially so when a person becomes a priest for the purpose of having access to children, they are not only worse than scum, they deserve no mercy. The church didn't commit those crimes but anybody within the church involved in any kind of sex act or cover up belongs in prison and should rot in prison for the rest of his life. One day these men will have to answer to God.

Being a Catholic doesn't mean that I ignored what happened. The Catholic church has been good to me in a way that I won't get into on this forum. But there is absolutely no absolution for anyone who harms a child this way. I spent 22 years taking care of children. I also raised two sons. If anybody ever hurt my child in that way I would want to see him dead.

As for being a Catholic zealot. I don't think so but you can believe that if you want to.

I believe that people should be responsible for themselves except those who are incapable. I believe we have too much government shoved down our throats and all of our politicians are squandering the taxpayer's money, Dem and Repub. I believe that life begins at conception. If believing all of that makes me right wing then I guess I am right wing.

It's getting late now Mr. Ed. I think I'll go and take my Valium and read my book for awhile. Have a nice night.